When a bar of soap is placed on a conventional soap dish, soap holder or other supporting surface after use, the engagement of the undersurface of the soap with the support prevents effective drying of that undersurface and maintains it for a long period of time in a softened mushy condition. Subsequent handling of the soap tends to rapidly rub or wear away the softened surface of the soap, and as a result the soap does not last as long as it should. Various expedients have been proposed to overcome or reduce this effect. For example, soap dishes have been provided with openings for draining away water, or with soap contacting surfaces having spaced ridges, grooves or other irregularities or specially formed shapes. Also, waterproof sheets, coatings or covers have been provided on the soap itself to render one or more of the outer surfaces of the soap insoluble in water. However, none of these prior proposals of which I am aware is an effective solution to the problem.